Ski wall rack



K. A. SIELOFF July 11, 1967 SKI WALL RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet l' Filed Aug. 26, 1964 INVENTOR. KENNETH A. SIELOFF ATTORNEYS July 11, 1967 K. A. SIELOFF 3,330,573

SKI WALL RACK Filed Aug. 26, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. KENNETH A. SIELOFF ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,330,573 SKI WALL RACK Kenneth A. Sieloff, Troy, Mich., assgnor to Conlan-Sieloff Industries, Inc., Birmingham, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Aug. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 392,238 3 Claims. (Cl. 28011.37)

This invention relates generally to the ski art and, more particularly, to a novel and improved ski rack means for hold-ing skis on the wall of a building when they :are not in use.

The storing of skis when they are not being used presents many problems. For example, improper storage may injuriously affect the craftsmanship built into the skis, as well as damaging the finish of the skis. Improper storage of skis may also damage 4the edges thereof, and cause war-page and change in the camber of the skis. Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved ski rack which will overcome the aforementioned problems of ski storage.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel Iand improved ski rack for holding :a pair of skis on a Wall, and which functions to protect the finish and craftsmanship built into skis, protects the edges thereof against damage, retains 4the camber in the skis, and prevent-s warpage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved .ski wall rack which will add to the decor of a recreation or fam-ily room when it is used to hold a pair of skis on a wall in such rooms.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved ski Wall rack which is simple and compact in construction, economical of manufacture, and efficient in operation.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved ski wall rack which includes a clamp means and bracket means mounted in vertically spaced apart positions on a base means, as a Awall or board, and a camber board mounted on said base means :at a position in-termediate said clamp means and bracket means and adapted to be positioned under the middle of a pair of skis to maintain the proper camber in the skis w-hen they are held or stored on the base means.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following -detailed description, appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a pair of skis held in a stored position by a ski Wall rack made in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is :a side eleva-tional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. l, taken along the line 2-2 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows; FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged horizontal sectional View of the structure illustrated in FIG. l, taken along the line 3 3 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows;

fFIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged horizontal sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, t-aken along the line 4-4 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, perspective view of a first clamp means employed in the ski wall rack of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, perspective view of the ca mber block employed in the ski Wall rack of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, perspective view of the bracket employed in the ski wall rack of the present invention;

ice

FIG. 8 is -a perspective view of a second clamp -rneans which may -be employed in the ski wall rack of the present lnvention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third clamp means which may be employed in the ski wall rack of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth clamp means which may be employed in the ski wall rack of the present invention; and,

FIG. 1l is a perspective view of a fifth cla-mp means which may be employed in the ski wall rack of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 4, the numeral 10 generally designates a wall of a building upon which the ski rack of the present invention is mounted for purposes of illustration. Although the ski rac-k of the present invention is illustrated as being mounted on a wall, as for example the basement wall of a building or the wall of a recreation room, it will be understood that it may be mounted on a vertical board which is in turn mounted on a wall, if desired.

The numerals 11 and 12 generally -designate a pair of skis in FIG. l which are shown as being held on the wall 10 by a rack means made in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and which comprise the clamp means 13, the bracket means 14 and the ca mber block 1S. The clamp means 13 is mounted in a vertically spaced apart position above the bracket means 14 with the camber block 15 being disposed -at an intermediate position between the clamp means 13 and the bracket means 14.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, the bracket means 14 is adapted to hold the lower ends of the skis 11 and 12 in a stored position on the wall 10. The bracket means 14 includes the central retainer plate portion 16 which is adapted to be fixedly secured to the wall or base/ :means 10 by any suitable means, as by the screws 17. The bracket means 14 includes a pair of spaced apart U- shaped bracket portions which are integrally connected to the retainer .plate portion 16. y

As shown in FIGS'. 4 and 7, one of the U-shaped bracket portions .comprises the bight portion 18 which is disposed parallel to the `surface of the Wall 10 and at a spaced apart position. Integrally connected to the ends of the bight portion 18 are the legs 19 which extend inwardly toward the wall 10. The inner end of the leg 19 is integrally connected to the one end of the retainer plate portion 16. The inner end of `the leg 20 is adapted to abut the surface of the wall 10.

The second `U-shaped bracket portion includes the bight portion 21 which is disposed in a position laterally spaced apart from the bight portion 1S of the first U-shaped bracket portion. Integrally connected to the ends of the bight portion 21 are the inwardly extended legs 22 and 23. The inner end of the leg 22 is integrally connected to the end of the retainer plate portion 16. The inner end of the leg portion 23 is adapted to abut the Wall 10. As shown in FIGS. l and 4, the U-shaped bracket portions of the bracket means 14 are adapted to slidably receive the lower ends 24 and 25 of the skis 11 and 12, respectively. It will be seen that the U-shaped bracket portions coact with the base means or wall 10 to form a pair of laterally spaced apart brackets into which the ski ends 24 and 2S may be easily and quickly mounted.

In one embodiment the bracket means 14 was made from a single strip of metal which was formed into the shape or configuration illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7. In said embodiment, the overall length of the bracket means 14 was approximately 9% inches. The bight portions 18 and 21 of the bracket means 14 were about 3% inches long and the length of the leg portions was about @A of an inch.

The camber block 15 is shown to an enlarged scale in FIG. 6, and it comprises a block of wood or any any other suitable material which is adapted to be fixedly secured to the wall at an intermediate position between the clamp means 13 and the ybracket means 14. In one embodiment the camber block 15 was made from wood and was made to the dimensions listed as follows. The block 15 in said embodiment was approximately 8% inches in length, 1'1/2 inches in width and l inch in thickness.

As shown in FIG. 6, the camber block 15 is provided with a pair of holes therethrough indicated by the numerals 26 and 27, for selectively securing the camber block directly on the wall 10 or on a suitable base board which in turn may be mounted on the wall. As shown in FIG. 1, the -block 15 is secured to the wall 10l by a suitable screw 28 which would be a wood Screw if the block 15 is mounted on a board which is in turn mounted on the wall, or a concrete type screw adapted to be used for securing an item to cement if the block 15 is mounted directly on a concrete wall.

The block hole 26 is formed through the wide side of the yblock 15 and the hole 27 is formed through the narrow side of the block 15. The block 15 is provided with the holes 26 and 27 so that the user of the ski rack may have a selection of two thicknesses so that he can increase the degree of camber, if desired, by mounting the 4block 15 on its narrow side and securing it to the wall 10 by a screw as 28 passing through the hole 27.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, clamp means 13 includes a pair of late-rally spaced apart, U-shaped clamp members. One of these U-shaped clamp members includes the bight portion 29 and the integral outwardly extended legs 30 and 31 which extend perpendicularly outward from the wall 10. The outer end of the leg 31 is integrally connected to one end of the connector plate 32 which is disposed parallel to the surface of the wall 10. The other U-shaped clamp member includes the bight portion 33 and the integral outwardly extended legs 34 and 35 which are also disposed perpendicular to the wall 10. The outer end of the leg 34 is integral with the other end of the connector plate 32. The U-shaped pair of clamp members are xedly secured to the supporting means or wall 10 by any suitable means, as by the screws 36 and 37 which are adapted to pass through the screw holes 38 and 39, respectively, as shown in FIG. 5.

The clamp means 13 further includes a pair of pivotally mounted retainer arms or clamp arms indicated by the numerals 40 and 44, in FIGS. 3 and 5. The clamp arm 40 is formed as an elongated plate with the inner end thereof pivotally mounted on the connector plate 32 by means of the rivet 41. The outer end of the clamp arm 40 is provided with a downwardly facing lock slot 42 which is adapted to mate with and be seated in the upwardly facing lock slot 43 formed in the clamp leg 30. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the clamp arm 40 may be pivoted upwardly to open the adjacent U-shaped clamp member to permit the insertion of the front end 48 of the ski 11. The retainer arm 40 is then pivoted downwardly in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 5, until the slot 43 in the leg 30 receives the retainer arm 40. T'he slot 42 in the retainer arm 40 passes over the lower portion of the leg 30.

The clamping means 13 further includes the second retainer arm Ior clamp plate 44 which is pivotally mounted by means of the rivet 45 on the connector plate 32. The outer end of the clamp arm 44 is provided with a downwardly facing locking slot 46 formed in the lower side. The U-shaped clamp member leg 35 is provided with a mating upwardly facing locking slot 47 on the upper end thereof for lche reception of the outer end of the clamping arm 44. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the clamping arm 44 is adapted to be pivoted upwardly and down- 4 wardly and when it is in the `down or locked position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front end 49 of the ski 12 will -be embraced and clamped in a xed position in the ski rack.

The clamp means 13 and the bracket means 14 may |be made from any suitable material as, for example, a suitable metal, plastic, `or like material. In one embodiment, these parts of the ski rack were made from chrome plated, cold rolled steel.

The ski wall rack of the present invention may be made to hold skis of all makes and sizes. It is adapted to protect the finish and craftmanshp of the skis by protecting the edges thereof against damage, helping to prevent warpage and helping to maintain the camber in the skis. The ski wall rack `of the present invention is adapted to be mounted on a suitable supporting means. It may be mounted on a base board which in turn may be mounted on a building wall, or it may be mounted directly on the building wall itself. It may be mounted in any room of the building, as for example, `on the wall of a recreation or family room. It may be mounted in a horizontal position as well, if desired.

When mounting the ski wall rack in operative position on a wall, the camber block 15 is irst affixed to the wall so that when the ski is in place, the block 15 will be under the middle of the ski. It will be understood that the degree of camber of the ski may be increased by mounting the block 15 on its narrow edge so as to permit inserting the mounting screw 28 through the hole 27 instead of through the hole 26. The skis may be used as measuring guides when mounting the clamp means 13 and bracket means 14 on a wall or other supporting means. For example, after the block 15 has been secured on a wall, the skis may be held so that the block 15 is disposed under the longitudinal middle point thereof. The clamp means 13 and bracket means 14 would then be positioned and secured in place about six inches from the front and rear ends, respectively, of the skis. The rear ends of the skis are first mounted in the bracket means 14 and the front ends are then moved into the U- shaped clamping member of the clamp means 13. The skis are held against lengthwise movement because the clamp means 13 and the bracket means 14 maintains the skis in a cambered position over the block 15 whereby the ends of the skis tend to pivot outwardly from the wall 10 and into a friction type grip with clamp means 13 and the bracket means 14. Experience has shown that the ski wall rack of the present invention is an efficient and practical apparatus for storing a pair of skis when they are not in use.

FIG. 8 illustrates a second clamp means embodiment which may be employed in the invention. This second embodiment has been generally designated by the numeral 13 followed by the small letter "a. The parts of the clamp means 13a which are similar to the rst described clamp means 13 have been marked with similar reference numerals followed by the small letter "a."

It will be seen that the only difference between the iirst described clamp means 13 and the clamp means 13a is that the retainer arms 40 and 44 for the first embodiment have been replaced with a single elongated retainer arm or clamp arm designated by the numeral 50. One end of the retainer arm 50 has been pivotally mounted on the leg extension 51 by means of the rivet. 52. The other end of the retainer arm 50 is provided with the hole 54 which is adapted to mate with a similar hole in the leg extension 53. It will be seen that when the retainer arm 50 is swung upwardly or downwardly from the position shown in FIG. 8, the front ends of a pair of skis may be inserted in the U-shaped clamping members of the clamp means 13a. The retainer arm 50 may then be pivoted to the closed or clamping position shown in FIG. 8, whereby the front ends of the skis are circled and clasped in a tensioned stored position.

Any suitable means may be mounted through the holes 54 for securing the retainer arm 50 in place. It is preferable that a conventional padlock may be used, as for example, the type of padlock which has a U-shaped shackle which can be passed through the hole 54 and then locked in place to prevent unauthorized taking of the skis from the ski wall rack. It will also be understood that if it is not desired to lock the rack 13a by means of a padlock that any suitable screw means or pin may be passed through the hole 54 to secure the retainer arm 50 in place, as for example, the screw 55 which is adapted to pass through the hole 54 and be secured in place by means of the nut 56.

FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of a clamp means which may be employed in carrying out the principles of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 9 has been generally designated by the numeral 13b, and the parts thereof which are similar to the parts of the rst embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 and 5 have been marked with the same reference numerals followed by the small letter "b.

The clamp means 13b of FIG. 9 has been provided with a single, elongated retainer arm 5017 which is pivotally mounted at the longitudinal center thereof on the connector plate 32b by means of the rivet 57. The retainer arm 50b is provided on one end thereof with the downwardly facing locking slot 58 and on theV other end thereof with the upwardly facing locking slot 59. The last mentioned slots are adapted to coact with the locking slots 60 and 61 formed in the upper and lower sides, respectively, of the clamp member legs 3012 and 35b, respectively. It will be seen that when the retainer arm 50b is moved clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 9, it will be moved to a vertical position to permit the front ends of a pair of skis to be mounted in the clamp means 13b. When the retainer arm 50h is moved counterclockwise, the bar will be moved to a horizontal position to permit the one end of the retainer bar 50b to pass into the slot 60 in the arm 30b and through the slot 58 to overlap and receive the leg 30b. The opposite end of the retainer arm 50b also interlocks in the same manner with the leg member 35h.

FIG. l0 illustrates a fourth embodiment of `a clamp means which may be employed in carrying out the principles of the present invention. The clamp means of FIG. l0 is designated by the numeral 13C. The parts of the clamp means 13C which are similar to the clamp means 13 and 13a, of FIGS. 3 and 8, respectively, have been marked with the same reference numerals followed by the small letter c. The only difference between the embodiment of FIG. 1 and FIG. 10 is that in the embodiment of FIG. l0, the retainer arms 40e and 44e are adapted to be secured in place by suitable lock means adapted to be passed through suitable holes in the retainer arms and the mating U-shaped clamping members.

As shown in FIG. 10, the outer end of the pivotally mounted retainer arm 40C is provided with a hole 62 which is adapted to be aligned with the hole 63 formed in the leg extension 51e. The shackle of a suitable padlock may be mounted through these mating holes to lock the retainer arm 40C in place and prevent unauthorized usage of the skis. It will also be understood that a suitable screw, as the screw 55 and the nut 56 in FIG. 8, may be used to secure the retainer arm 40a` in place. The other retainer arm 44a` is also provided with a similar hole 64 adapted to be aligned with the hole 65 in the leg extension 53C. A suitable padlock or screw as mentioned for use in holes 62 and 63 may also be used to secure the retainer arm 44e in position.

FIG. l1 illustrates a fifth embodiment of a clamp means adapted to be employed in carrying out the principles of the present invention. The parts of the clamp means of FIG. 11 which are similar to the clamp means 13 of FIG. l have been marked with the same reference numerals followed by the small letter "d. The clamp means in FIG. ll is generally indicated by the numeral 13d. As shown in FIG. l, the U-shaped clamping member legs 30d, 31d, 34d and 35d, have been provided with thn aligned holes 66, 67, 68 and 69, respectively, for the slid ing reception of the elongated retainer rod 70. The re tainer rod 70 has been provided with a suitable handlf 71. It will be seen that when the retainer rod 70 is re moved from the last mentioned holes, a pair of skis may bf inserted in the clamp means 13d. After the front ends o1 a pair of skis have been inserted in the U-shaped clam; portions of the clamp means 13d, the retainer rod 70 if then slidably moved into the last mentioned holes to complete the encirclement or clasping of the ski front ends and to retain them in the ski rack. If desired, the right end of the retainer rod 70 as viewed in FIG. 11, may be provided with a suitable lock means for retaining the retainer rod 70 in the clamping position shown in FIG. 1l to prevent unauthorized usage of the skis. For example, a suitable hole 72 may be provided through said end oi the retainer rod 70 to permit a suitable locking means to be inserted therethrough, as for example, the shackle of a padlock.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are well calculated to fulll the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A ski rack or mounting a pair of skis on a supporting means comprising:

(a) a camber retainer means mounted on said supporting means and adapted to be positioned under the pair of skis at the longitudinal middle point of each of the skis;

(b) a bracket means mounted on said supporting means and adapted to receive and encircle the rear ends of a pair of skis;

(c) a clamp means mounted on said supporting means and disposed in alignment with said camber retaining means and bracket means, and adapted to receive the front ends of `a pair of skis and clamp the skis on the supporting means;

(d) said clamp means including a pair of spaced apart, interconnected clamp members which are mounted on said supporting means and which are open on the outer sides thereof for the reception of the front ends of a pair of skis, and retainer means mounted on said clamp members for retaining the skis in said clamp members; and,

(e). said retainer means comprising a retainer arm pivotally mounted across the open outer side of each of said clamp members, and one end of each of the retainer arms being pivoted on =the inner side of one of the clamp members and the other end of each of the retainer arms being provided with a lock slot for interlocking engagement with a slot on the outer side of one of the clamp members.

2. A ski rack for mounting a pair of skis on a supporting means comprising:

(a) a camber retainer means mounted on said supporting means and adapted to be positioned under the pair of skis at the longitudinal middle point of each of the skis;

(b) a bracket means mounted on said supporting means and adapted to receive and encircle the rear ends of a pair of skis;

(c) a clamp means mounted on said supporting means and disposed in alignment with said camber retaining means and bracket means, and adapted to receive the front ends of a pair of skis and clamp the skis on the supporting means;

(d) said clamp means including a pair of spaced apart, interconnected clamp members which are mounted on said supporting means and which are open on the outer sides thereof for the reception of the front ends of a pair of skis, and retainer means mounted on said clamp members for retaining the skis in said clamp members; and,

(e) said retainer means comprises an elongated retainer arm pivotally mounted at the longitudinal center point thereof at a point between said clamp members, and a slot on each of the ends of said elongated retainer arm for locking engagement with a slot on one of the clamp members in a closed position across the open sides of the clamp members.

3. A ski rack for mounting a pair of skis on a supporting means comprising:

(a) a carnber retainer means mounted on said supporting means and adapted to be positioned under the pair of skis at the longitudinal middle point of each of the skis;

(b) a bracket means mounted on said supporting means and adapted to receive and encircle the rear ends of a pair of skis;

(c) a clamp means mounted on said supporting means and disposed in alignment with said carnber retaining means and bracket means, and adapted toreceive the front ends of a pair of skis and clamp the skis on the supporting means;

(d) said clamp means including a pair of spaced apart, interconnected clamp members which are mounted on said supporting means and which are open on the outer sides thereof for the reception of the front ends of a pair of skis, and Aretainer means mounted on said clamp members for retaining the skis in said clamp members; and

(e) said retainer means includes an elongated retainer rod removably mounted through holes in the clamp members in a slidable manner across the open outer sides of the clamp members for selective closure of the same, and means for locking the retainer rod in closed position across `the clamp members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,283 7/1929 Zeller 211-'60 X 2,106,503 1/1938 Hendrich. 2,581,824 1/1952 Windahl 280--11.37

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,335,767 7/1963 France. 1,371,736 7/1964 France.

271,047 3/ 1913 Germany.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

MILTON L. SMITH, Examiner. 

1. A SKI RACK OR MOUNTING A PAIR OF SKIS ON A SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING: (A) A CAMBER RETAINER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED UNDER THE PAIR OF SKIS AT THE LONGITUDINAL MIDDLE POINT OF EACH OF THE SKIS; (B) A BRACKET MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND ENCIRCLE THE REAR ENDS OF A PAIR OF SKIS; (C) A CLAMP MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND DISPOSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID CAMBER RETAINING MEANS AND BRACKET MEANS, AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE FRONT ENDS OF A PAIR OF SKIS AND CLAMP THE SKIS ON THE SUPPORTING MEANS; (D) SAID CLAMP MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED APART, INTERCONNECTED CLAMP MEMBERS WHICH ARE MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND WHICH ARE OPEN ON THE OUTER SIDES THEREOF FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE FRONT ENDS OF A PAIR OF SKIS, AND RETAINER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CLAMP MEMBERS FOR RETAINING THE SKIS IN SAID CLAMP MEMBERS; AND, (E) SAID RETAINER MEANS COMPRISING A RETAINER ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ACROSS THE OPEN OUTER SIDE OF EACH OF SAID CLAMP MEMBERS, AND ONE END OF EACH OF THE RETAINER ARMS BEING PIVOTED ON THE INNER SIDE OF ONE OF THE CLAMP MEMBERS AND THE OTHER END OF EACH OF THE RETAINER ARMS BEING PROVIDED WITH A LOCK SLOT FOR INTERLOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH A SLOT ON THE OUTER SIDE OF ONE OF THE CLAMP MEMBERS. 